Everbest Organics named company to watch in 2014

Jon Becker for the Daily News

Published 7:29 am, Friday, May 23, 2014

A local organic farming operation has made a coveted business list. Everbest Organics, located in Bay County’s Merritt Township, was named one of Michigan’s 50 companies to watch for 2014 at a recent awards program at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University.

The annual event, attended by over 800 small business leaders, featured opening remarks by Gov. Rick Snyder who lauded the small business success stories that are sparking Michigan’s economic revival.

The 50 organizations recognized, and alluded to by Gov. Snyder, are projected to collect revenues of $145-million and create or retain 2,000 jobs this year. The awards program honors second-stage companies (ones that typically have progressed beyond start-up status and now are focused on growth) that are headquartered in Michigan. These companies, said officials, have demonstrated high performance in the marketplace or have exhibited innovative products and services.

Jim and DeAnn Sattelberg, co-owners of Everbest Organics, said that since the company’s founding in 2002 they’ve benefited from the challenge of meeting high demand for products in a rapidly growing market.

According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation, in 1994 there were roughly 2,500 to 3,000 organic farmers in the United States. Today there are more than 10,000 certified organic farmers who produce 2 percent of the U.S. food supply.

“It (the growing market) has allowed us to grow roughly 25 percent each year for nearly each of the 11 years Everbest has been in business,” Sattelberg, once a conventional farmer, said. “This has helped our family-owned business to grow into the largest certified organic dry bean facility in the state.”

Everbest Organics provides its clients with organic and non-genetically modified organism crops that are then cleaned, processed and packaged for shipment to domestic and international markets.

“We are so very proud of Everbest Organics and their contributions to Bay County in a very short amount of time,” said Trevor Keyes, Bay Future acting interim president. “After purchasing a long vacant industrial facility in Munger, the Sattelbergs have invested millions of dollars in renovations and upgrades to their facilities and have infused capital to our community at the same time.”

Along with Jim and DeAnn, the family business is co-managed by their two sons, Ben and Matt, and their families.

Founders of the award event include the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the Michigan Small Business Administration, the Edward Lowe Foundation and the U.S. Small Business Administration.